The Lemon Deities
by Shakers of The Words
Summary: Ten years after the Himmel Street bombing, Rudy and Max work to find and reunite with Liesel, who is now a school teacher. (This is how life would have turned out if Rudy had attended the Hitler Youth school.)
1. Chapter 1

**Authors' Note: In this story, Rudy attended the Hitler Youth school and his father never went to war. Rudy lived in place of his father. This story takes place a decade after the bombing of Himmel Street.**

Liesel Meminger turned 23, her birthday marking almost ten years from the day she had begun another life.

She tried to push thoughts of the Steiners, Max Vandenburg, Rosa and Hans Hubermann, everyone she had loved, from her mind, for it was the day that Himmel Street, her home, was bombed.

She couldn't do it. The people she lost that night had meant the world to her. Liesel quickly walked home from the school she had recently begun working at. Her small house was only a few blocks away.

The twenty minutes it took her to get there was plenty of time to wonder if her best friend, Rudy Steiner, had changed after attending his big shot school. Did he still love her? She still loved him. Was Max Vandenburg alive? Had he made it through that dreadful camp?

It had been years since she'd seen the Mayor's wife - Ilsa Hermann - in person but she sent Liesel a telegraph every year around this time. Liesel would read the telegraph tonight with a tall glass of wine and reminisce about how she'd crept in through the window to read as many of the kind woman's books as she could. Not just Liesel; she and Rudy. They had been partners in crime.

After the bombing, Liesel had tried to stay near Molching for as long as she could, hoping in vain that word of the bombing would have reached Rudy, prompting him to return.

He didn't come back. Whether it was because he had no family to return to, couldn't leave his training and education, didn't care for Liesel anymore, or simply didn't want to return, she had no idea.

Liesel was allowed to stay in the Mayor's household late into her teenage years; Frau Hermann had always cared for the girl and refused to have her sent to an orphanage, preferring to have company similar to that of her late son. It was like a hole was filled in her heart, and she was allowed to indulge once more in the joys that came with children, though it took Liesel many months to come out of mourning.

Soon after her eighteenth birthday, Liesel, a legal adult capable of making her own decisions, decided that she wanted to leave the Hermann's house and make a home for herself elsewhere. She took all the earnings that she had made working at a book shop on the corner of the street and bought a one-way train ticket to Frankfurt, where she attended college.

Almost immediately after Liesel left, Ilsa and her husband had decided to downsize. They moved into a modest cottage in the countryside and made sure there was still room for their books. Ilsa had made sure to send their new address to Liesel, who was pleasantly surprised to learn that they had moved closer to her.

Four years later, she graduated with a teaching degree. Liesel then found herself a job teaching young children to read at a small elementary school near the college she'd graduated from.

* * *

Max Vandenburg had found out about Himmel Street's death when he returned, looking for the people he'd been a family with. Even though things changed for Jews after Hitler died, people still crossed to the other side of the road to avoid them. Though Max knew of Himmel Street's bombing, he'd never received clear information regarding any survivors.

Max had a better life now, but he still got his newspaper from the garbage. He remembered how Liesel used to do this for him when he was staying in her basement. He flipped right to the crossword puzzle. It's one of the only things that entertained him during those long hours at the Hubermann household. Above the puzzle something caught his eye.

It was a sketch of a girl.

It was a sketch of Liesel Meminger. Max quickly scanned through the short article.

 _I am looking for a girl named Liesel Meminger. She has blond hair and brown eyes. She would be in her early twenties now. She is a book thief. Anyone with information please send a telegram to the following address: 623_ _Freund_ _Street. Thank you. - Rudy Steiner._

Max could not believe it. He remembered Liesel telling him adorable stories about her best friend, Rudy Steiner. Was Liesel alive?

* * *

Rudy knew this was the day his entire family had died. He was given the news the morning after the bombing. He knew Liesel had lived. He was told there had been a survivor and that they had lived simply because they'd been writing in their basement late at night when the bombs had fallen. Rudy knew there was only one person this could be.

For months his sole purpose had been getting to her. Because nothing was left of his family's things, he was not permitted to leave his boarding school. He had even tried failing everything so they would send him away. He had no such luck.

After that didn't work, Rudy was thrilled to hear that the boarding school was closing; he thought this would be a chance to see Liesel. He was transferred to an orphanage instead.

When he'd finally been let loose at the age of eighteen, Rudy checked everywhere for his old best friend. His father's shop had been shut down and Liesel didn't work at any of the local establishments. The only thing he had on her was that she was the author of a moderately successful book called _The Word Shaker_. It was apparently co-written by someone of the name _Max Vandenburg_.

 _Is he her boyfriend?!_ Rudy initially thought, equally confused and terrified. Then he remembered it was the Jewish man that had lived with Liesel through a few of their childhood years.

Rudy had read the book cover to cover many times. He remembered Liesel loved to read but he hadn't known how good of a writer she truly was. The book she wrote was very good. It just wasn't very popular because it challenged some anti-semitic ideas spread by Hitler. The little saumensch.

Rudy still loved her. It was why he put out an ad in the paper for her or her whereabouts. It had taken him years to save up for a spot in the paper. He even stayed close to Molching in the hopes that she would turn up.

On a particular night, Rudy was wandering the very street that he and Liesel had grown up on. He had thought and hoped she might come back on the anniversary of the bombing. He had returned every year on that night for six years. Liesel had yet to show.

This paper was his last hope of ever finding Liesel. It had taken Rudy over five years to save up for a spot in the paper, but it was worth it when a man of the name Max Vandenburg approached him on the street late that night.

 **Feel free to point out any typos. Constructive criticism is welcome. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Emily Meminger** : Thank you so much! Glad you liked it!

 **PenguinsHockey14** : Thank you for the review, so glad you liked the first chapter! Here's the next one. :)

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Book Thief. This is simply based on Markus Zusak's work**

* * *

Rudy was sitting on the street curb when he saw a tall man walking up to him in the dark. Rudy started to worry and prepared himself to take off in the opposite direction. He wasn't ready to be attacked in the middle of the night.

"Are you Rudy Steiner?" The man inquired.

"Who are you?" The great Jesse Owens retorted, surprised.

"She said your hair is the color of lemons. You're Rudy Steiner." It was no longer a question, but a sure statement.

"Who's _she_? Who are _you_? Wait - do you know Liesel?"

"Yes, Liesel Meminger said your hair is the color of lemons. My name is Max Vandenburg. The Hubermanns housed me in their basement when Hitler was in power. They saved my life." He said this slowly and carefully.

 _Max Vandenburg . The co-author of_ _The Word Shaker_ _. The Jew that lived in Liesel's basement. THE JEW THAT LIVED IN LIESEL'S BASEMENT._

"Where is she? Where is Liesel?"

"I don't know.."

" - You saw my ad in the paper, didn't you? It worked! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, where the hell is Liesel?!" Rudy was on the verge of hysterics (it had been a hard six years).

"I don't know where she is. I've been looking for her for years now, same as you."

"What?" Rudy said over pronouncing the word with his striking German accent. "But… but..."

"I'm sorry."

"I thought you knew where Liesel is."

"I didn't even know she was alive until I saw your ad in the paper."

"But… You have to help me find her! You have too…."

"Okay. Okay, I'll help you. It will be okay, Rudy." Max tried frantically to calm the crying man down. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable, but he understood. Max loved Liesel too, just in a very different way.

* * *

The next day Rudy Steiner and Max Vandenburg sat at the kitchen table of Rudy's small house. In the light Rudy could see that Max was an attractive guy, about forty years old. He would have been somewhere in the middle of his twenties when he was staying with Liesel. This reassured Rudy, twenty was much too old for thirteen year old Liesel to have had any kind of a romantic relationship with.

After Max had gone over every detail about his life while staying with the Hubermanns (several times), Rudy was finally able to wrap his head around the fact that Max didn't know where Liesel was.

"How are we going to find her?"

"I do not know."

"But you wrote a book together!"

"I wrote a story called _The Word Shaker_ and gave it to Liesel as a gift. She finished it and turned it into a publishable work a few years ago. The only reason my name is on the book is because she tried to give me credit for my ideas. I told you, I haven't seen her since before the bombing."

* * *

Max spent the night on Rudy's couch that night. In the morning Max walked into the kitchen to find Rudy already awake with coffee.

"There's something I need to tell you." Max said guiltily.

"What?" Rudy asked, suddenly scared. Max did not look like he had good news.

"There's an organization called the Search Bureau for Missing Relatives. It's a part of the Jewish Agency and helps Jews like me who lost their family and friends in the war find them."

"How is that going to help us find Liesel?"

"I'll tell them that she was a very good friend of mine and they might be able to find her for us. The only problem is that I don't have the money to do that. I didn't tell you last night because you didn't seem of sound mind at the time."

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. I have money, Max. We're going to find Liesel!" the two men embraced gleefully.

 _Who knew one girl could have such an effect on people?_

That day Rudy broke into his savings, and they signed up for the organization. They were a little disappointed when they found out it could take years to find Liesel but tried to remain optimistic.

* * *

Three weeks later there was a breakthrough.

Max rushed into the house, barreling through the door and narrowly avoiding crashing into the small stand Rudy had set up next to the door. He paused in the living room to catch his breath before shouting.

"Rudy! I know! I know where she is! I know where Liesel is!" his voice could barely contain his overwhelming excitement. Max then took a moment to smooth out the paper and torn envelope he'd clutched in his hand.

A generous amount of crashing and bumping could be heard from the room directly above where Max was standing. Rudy rushed down the stairs faster than a child playing a game of tag. His shirt was half undone; he'd been in the middle of getting dressed when Max had retrieved the mail. Rudy stopped abruptly, looking at Max expectantly. His eyes shone with copious amounts of emotion.

"Well? Where is she?" Rudy all but shouted, the thought of finally knowing almost too much for him to bear.

 _The boy with the hair the color of lemons_ and _the man that stole the sky_ were going to reunite with _the book thief_ at last.


	3. Chapter 3

Max took in a deep breath, preparing to make the most dramatic announcement that he could, given that he was practically bursting with the knowledge of Liesel's location and the desire to tell someone.

Rudy, however, was having none of this. He stepped closer to Max, already having waited too long for the information.

" _Come on!_ Just tell me already!" He whined impatiently.

Max sighed. His dramatics would have to wait for another day.

"She's in Frankfurt, teaching in an elementary school. It says here that she's a literacy teacher; she teaches children how to read and write."

Rudy grinned, vibrating with excitement. _I always knew she'd go in that direction._

"So, how do we get there?" Rudy inquired, his voice full of elation and anticipation.

* * *

Meanwhile, Liesel was dealing with a particularly difficult child. He had a problem with keeping his hands to himself. His name was Christoffer and it was not the first time he had gotten himself into trouble.

The funny thing was, Liesel had a hard time staying mad at him for too long. He reminded her of a young girl who had moved to a foreign place, had no friends, thought her mother had abandoned her, and had a quick temper. Both young Liesel and Christoffer were not in the business of putting up with bullshit they didn't need to put up with. Hence, their tendencies to lash out.

"He started it Miss Meminger!" Christoffer yells, instantly defensive.

"Nein! I didn't! It was him. It's not my fault he's stupid! All I did was tell the truth. That's what you always tell us to do! 'Tell the truth'"

" _Ja!_ " The rest of the class chimes in. Christoffer was by no means the most popular student she'd ever taught.

"Have any of you ever heard of a white lie? It is a lie people tell every day. A white lie is when you lie to protect someone else's feelings. For example. I told a colleague of mine that I liked her shirt when she asked me what I thought about it. She must have had something red to eat that day because there was a huge red stain right above her stomach. She was about to do a big presentation and there was no way she could have changed before hand so I lied. I told her I thought she looked fabulous." The class didn't seem to understand.

"Look, the point is that this teacher then when out and gave an outstanding performance. She was confident."

"Rolf, you were brutally honest to Christoffer when you told him that you thought he wasn't very smart. I would beg to differ. Christoffer's brain works a little differently than yours does. That's all!" Liesel took a deep breath.

"When I was his age, I couldn't read one word." she continued. "Kids made fun of me, but look where I am now! You all need to learn the difference between lying, being so honest to the extent that you're being cruel, and just doing what's right. Christoffer is not as good of a reader as Rolf is. That's just a fact. But, he is getting better everyday. Rolf, you don't have to tell a white lie and say Christoffer is the best reader you've ever seen, but you do need to still be nice to him. And Christoffer, violence is never the answer!"

"Do you think I hit everyone who picked on me growing up? No! Because that would be wrong. A smart person would use their _words_ to express how they felt." Liesel's little lie to the class was making her voice choppy. Liesel had beaten up the children that had called her names. Unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to tell the class that this is a good idea, so she was forced to lie. However, her speech was interrupted when she saw a very blonde man with another man whose hair looked like feathers walking up to the school. _Jesus, Mary, and Joseph…._


End file.
